Report: Apple to Release 5th-Gen iPad Air With OLED Display Next Year

Apple plans to release a 10.8-inch iPad with an OLED display next year, followed by the company's second ‌iPad‌ with an OLED display in 2023, according to a new report from The Elec.

iPad Air display
The Elec, which has a mixed track record on reporting on Apple's plans, claims that the ‌iPad‌ being planned for release next year will feature a 10.8-inch screen size, likely hinting it may be the 5th generation iPad Air. According to the report, the ‌iPad‌ will use a rigid OLED display panel that "stacks organic material and inorganic material in alternative layers to protect the organic material from water and oxygen."

Looking out to 2023, Apple is reportedly planning multiple iPads with an OLED display that will use flexible OLED display panels rather than rigid OLED. For the 2023 iPads, the company may also implement LTPO technology which enables ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate, a feature currently exclusive to the iPad Pro.

For the iPads launching in 2023, Cupertino could use flexible OLED over rigid OLED. It could also change the TFT from LTPS to low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO). The RGB emission layer could also be the "tandem" structure where two layers of them are stacked together.

A separate report in May, from the South Korean website ETNews, said that Apple will use OLED panels in "some" iPad models starting next year but didn't specify which iPads.

Today's report, outlining a 10.86-inch screen size, likely means it will be an updated ‌iPad Air‌. Apple last updated the ‌iPad Air‌ this past fall with an updated all-screen design and the company's flagship A14 Bionic processor. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also previously reported that an updated iPad Air in 2022 will adopt OLED displays, while mini-LED, just launched this past April in the ‌iPad Pro‌, will remain exclusive to the high-end ‌iPad‌.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...

Top Rated Comments

ksgant Avatar
60 months ago
Seems OLED is always "a year away" for the iPads.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zdigital2015 Avatar
60 months ago

Unless and until it can run M1 apps, hard pass.
Tell me exactly what an M1 app is?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vol Braakzakje Avatar
60 months ago
Interesting. I think it is really important to think about how you use the iPad. OLED is probably better if you do a lot of movie watching at night in bed.
Mini LED is better if you use your iPad primarily at day time, as the higher brightness will be much more useful than the darkness of oled.

Gives people a choice, which is good imho. I’d still go for the mini led because I need the iPad in bright light.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Warputin Avatar
60 months ago
Why build a car, when you can just sell an iPad at the price of one :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
60 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alpi123 Avatar
60 months ago

This would imply that apple sees mini LED to be the better technology right.
I assume this also means the 11” pro will become mini LED?
Depends on the use. Both can be good or bad.

miniLED is brighter but has blooming, and in the end, it's still an LCD panel. The contrast ratio is standard unless viewing HDR content.

OLED has true blacks, a 1:infinity contrast ratio, and no blooming, but can suffer from burn in and PWM (some people are sensitive to it).
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)